Helping Cross-cultural Engineers and Technical Professionals Become Thought Leaders

The pandemic created a really steep learning curve, and many of us still do not completely understand the impact of virtual meetings on our relationships and productivity. ZOOM/WEBEX and video calls complicate the interpretation of signals – signals transmitted through subtle facial expressions, body language, vocal inflection and more. However, we know that our brain compensates for missing information and can lead to incorrect conclusions.  Over time we get tired of “guessing” the intentions, emotions, goals, and messages of others - not fully grasping individual situations. Moreover, in large groups, like staff meetings, attention is a scarce resource. Most importantly online meetings are here to stay, so those who learn how to create meaningful connections online will be more successful in the future. In 7 Tips to Create Meaningful Connections in your Online Meetings in 7 Seconds, you will learn how to create a powerful first impression online so that you are perceived as the thought leader that you are.  This workshop covers 1) Screen Environment, 2) Your Presence, 3) Facial Expressions & Body Language, 4) Voice, 5) Dress, 6) Word Choices, and 7) Technical Problems. Previous participants have said, “a lot of valuable information” and “critical points about what people can tell about you in just one second – very inspiring!” Join me for an hour that will change how you deliver value as a thought leader in your next online meeting.

As a cross-cultural communication coach who has worked from home since long before the pandemic transformed the world into work-from-home enthusiasts, I am acutely aware that I don’t have a boss and I don’t have a team evaluating my work and giving me feedback. Therefore, it is easy to get into a rut where I am missing important business and training strategies to optimize how I serve my clients and it’s easy to develop blind spots that diminish my effectiveness and productivity. These days, to solve this problem I work with not one, but two business coaches who help me to see my blind spots, as well as set goals and implement them. In life and in business, we are either growing or regressing – there is no standing still! I’m sure that you can relate to this as an engineer or technical professional on the leadership track because the farther along the leadership track one is, the lonelier it becomes! If you are interested in this personalized coaching session, that suggests to me that the workshop titles listed on this page do not seem like a perfect fit for your needs. So register for this flexible coaching hour and then send me a note with: 1. The topic you would like to discuss 2. The problem you would like to solve 3. The communication skill you would like to practice and receive feedback for You can reach me at christal@gcesl.ca. I look forward to working with you to shift your cross-cultural communication style from technical expert to thought leader. See you soon! Your cross-cultural communication coach, Christal

The EXPRESSING MULTI-SYLLABLE TECHNICAL VOCABULARY workshop is based upon the  Expressing Vowels to Create Meaningful Connections (listed above); therefore, you must complete the vowel workshop first. In my Breakthrough Needs Assessment meetings with engineers and technical professionals, we talk about their communication and career goals. As we talk, I am taking notes regarding their communication style. Most often, I note that they are dropping syllables and mumbling through some of their multi-syllable words. This absolutely interferes with their ability to speak clearly. But more importantly, it ensures that they will be seen by others as a technical expert, not a thought leader. My passion is to ensure that my engineering and technical clients are seen as more than technical experts and more than problem solvers. My mission is to help my clients communicate like the thought leaders that they are! In this workshop, we cover a heap of concepts and vocabulary in just one hour, including 1) stress patterns in words with suffixes, 2) stress patterns that change in the same word depending on the part of speech, and 3) stress patterns in multi-word business and technical expressions. You and I will cover more than a hundred words in the hour together, but don’t worry - you don’t have to memorize these words because you will learn patterns, conventions, and concepts that will allow you to easily remember and apply what you have learned to the majority of English multi-syllable words. It’s a fast-paced hour well spent for engineers and technical professionals who realize that communication is 80% of the job as you advance along the leadership track.

The EXPRESSING VOWELS TO CREATE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS workshop is a one-hour powerhouse. Vowels are the key to being perceived as the thought leader that you are! They help us to create meaningful connections with others. Vowels hold the emotion of the language.  Therefore, let us consider words that are all about emotion, such as wow, ah, oh, and yeah. Yes, these words are spoken solely to express our emotions and are comprised entirely of vowel sounds. They are 100% vowel sounds!  Vowels are also the key to producing multi-syllable words clearly – so important for all of you engineers and technical professionals. So, let’s consider vowels at three levels. 1) The clarity level: Would you like to be understood clearly the first time? Without clarity, you will never be considered a thought leader in your organization. 2) The emotional level: Would you like to be more engaging, persuasive, or empathetic in your conversations with others? The farther you advance on the leadership track, the more you will be communicating about ideas and relationships rather than technical data. Talking about ideas and relationships requires emotional inflection in one’s voice. 3) The communication style level: Most importantly though, would you like to communicate as the confident thought leader that you are? This requires a vocal tone that conveys confidence combined with compassion. The common factor at all of these levels of communication is vowels. Specifically, it is your mindset around vowels that will shift to create more meaningful connections with others in this one-hour workshop. Yes, we will address the mechanics of vowels as per your needs, but regardless of how advanced your English is, your mindset around vowel production will establish you as the clear, confident thought leader that you are.

The GIVING EXPLANATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS workshop is for you if you would like to give instructions and explanations without rambling – in the clear, concise, confident style of cross-cultural thought leaders. This workshop offers a systematic approach that’s super-easy to implement. Do you sometimes find yourself adding on details and new tangents to your instructions? Do you sometimes waste time clarifying or re-explaining your instructions to others? Have there ever been errors in following through on your instructions due to a miscommunication? And you know, it really doesn’t matter whose fault it was. If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you can make a significant shift to your communication style in just one hour. The GIVING EXPLANATIONS AND INSTRUCTIONS workshop is for you if you are looking for a clear, concise, confident system for this important leadership communication task that saves time and gives you’re the edge as a thought leader.

THE CHRONOLOGICAL STORY workshop is for you if you would like a systematic approach to explaining your projects’ timelines, deadlines, and milestones with a clear, concise, confident strategy that engages others and sets you up as the thought leader on the project. Do you sometimes wonder if you gave too much information? Do you feel that you have “lost” people in the details of your project? Do you have to repeat points? Do you feel that you are seen as a problem solver and expert in your field, but not as a thought leader? If so, this workshop offers a systematic approach to engaging others with just enough detail and organization so that you are perceived as the prepared, professional, and personable thought leader that you are. The workshop THE CHRONOLOGICAL STORY is for you if you would like to talk about your project in meaningful ways that express your vision and feelings about the project.

The SMALL TALK workshop is for you if you’re interested in improving your ability to engage others in small talk to build relationships. You might be surprised to know that it really doesn’t matter whether you are the quiet, introverted type or the talkative, extroverted type.  Small talk is not about how much or how little you talk, but about how you engage with the other person to make them feel supported and valued. In this workshop, I offer my clients a systematic approach to small talk that builds relationships.

The workshop THE IMPROMPTU CONVERSATION is for you if you’ve ever been concerned that when you are expressing your ideas your colleagues are not engaged, comprehending, or persuaded of your ideas.  This workshop offers a systematic approach that will take you from technical expert to thought leader in just one hour. It is a favorite of my executive clients. Do you spend way too much time preparing for meetings? Do you wonder if you’ve given others too much information? Would you like to know how to prepare for conversations and informal meetings in 60 seconds or less? Learn how to take your listener from A to Z in a clear, concise, confident communication style that sets you up as the thought leader in the office.

The workshop POLITE REFUSALS is for you if you dread saying “no” to people. Perhaps, you tell a little white lie when friends or colleagues ask you out for a social event that you would rather not attend.  Perhaps, someone asks you to take on a task that is not your responsibility and you would rather not do for whatever reason, but you say “yes.”  In this workshop, you will learn a systematic approach to refusing invitations and requests that is both honest and builds relationships.

The workshop HUMOUR THAT BUILDS RELATIONSHIPS is for you if you would like to develop an awareness of what makes English humour funny, and how to use humour to build relationships. What makes one person funny and the other irritating or even insulting? What makes a story or joke funny for you and others? Where and how can you experience English humour in order to develop my own sense of humour? This workshop explores these questions and more.

The CONVERSATIONS ABOUT NUMBERS workshop is for you if you need to clarify or repeat numerical expressions, and are unconfident about whether you are expressing numbers accurately. This workshop is NOT 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10! This fast-paced review focuses on busines numerical expressions at the sound production, as well as rhythm and stress levels. Do you find yourself repeating numerical expressions? – that costs time, and time is money. Has there been an error due to a miscommunication about numbers? – errors cost money. Do you hesitate to contribute your ideas that may improve productivity and profitability because you feel unable to interrupt a conversation with a quick alternative perspective on “the numbers.” How accurate, clear, and confident are you in conversations in which you are expressing NUMBERS? Do you feel 1) you need to improve, 2) you may not be perfectly accurate, but people understand you, or 3) you are accurate, clear, and confident in expressing a wide variety of numerical expressions, and you never need to repeat them. If you are a 3, great – you don’t need this workshop. However, if you are a 1 or even a 2, your inability to lead and participate in complex, fast moving discussions around the boardroom table about business goals and achievements will hold you back on the leadership track.  This workshop is one hour – in one hour you can cross business and technical numerical expressions off your list as a barrier to advancing on the leadership track!

The GIVING PRAISE workshop is for you if you would like to be noticed for your thought leadership in collaborations, team work, managing others, and improving productivity. In this workshop you will develop an awareness of how to build relationships with sincere, helpful compliments using a systematic approach to positive feedback. On a scale of 1 to 4, how would you describe your effectiveness when giving others COMPLIMENTS or PRAISE? #1) Do you avoid giving compliments? #2) Do you occasionally give general compliments, for example, “That’s good.”  #3) Do you often give compliments that are persons, for example “That purple tie looks great on you.”  #4) Do you give compliments that are personal and specific to your team member’s work style or results, for example “That report included the exact…” If you didn’t answer #4, then this workshop is for you! The workshop, GIVING PRAISE is for you if you want to be perceived as a charismatic leader who improves morale with feedback that improves productivity and profitability.

The CLARIFYING TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS workshop is for you if you want a system for clarifying details that is used by native and non-native English speakers alike around the globe – and if you are determined to ask for clarifications and give clarifications like the confident thought leader that you are! Everyone, native English speakers and non-native English speakers alike, clarify details and information. There are two keys to clarifying like a thought leader – your mindset and using a system that resonates with others, adding comfort, familiarity, and trust in the relationship. When you need to CLARIFY details, explanations, or instructions, what types of issues arise? Do you feel #1) embarrassed because it prevents you from moving forward with your idea and/or the relationship. #2) ok, but sometimes you have to explain more than once or take longer than you would like to convey your thoughts, or do you feel like a #3) confident thought leader, rarely hesitating to discuss any topic with anyone and rarely needing to repeat yourself. If you didn’t say #3, then this workshop is for you!

The GIVING FEEDBACK WITH A POSITIVE ENERGY is for you if you would like to improve morale and productivity within your team.  This workshop explores two systematic approaches of feedback and identifies the best approach for various relationships. Have you ever wondered how to motivate others to “buy into” your feedback? Or how to inspire others to change their behaviors, or the way they complete tasks? How confident are you when you have to give FEEDBACK to a team member, colleague, client, or even a member of your organization’s leadership? You may have different feelings for each group, but focus on the group that is most difficult for you when you answer this. Would you say that currently, you #1) do not give feedback, #2) rarely give feedback in order to avoid conflict, #3) give feedback when you need to and are fairly direct about it, or #4) give feedback with a positive energy that improves productivity and morale. The workshop GIVING FEEDBACK WITH A POSITIVE ENERGY is for you if you would like to be perceived as a charismatic leader who boosts morale with constructive feedback that improves productivity and profitability.

The BEYOND WORDS workshop is for you if you’re interested in improving your effectiveness in situations where you need to make a good first impression. Do you wonder how others see you? Would you describe yourself as quiet, maybe even introverted? Do you avoid  or feel uncomfortable when you need to talk with new people? Do you think you could improve the first impression you create with new contacts? On a scale of 1 to 3, how would you describe your level of confidence when speaking with native English speakers who you don't know well and you need to make a good FIRST IMPRESSION? For you, are the first few moments when you meet someone 1) very difficult, 2) ok, or 3) awesome?  If you didn’t answer awesome, this workshop is for you!  In BEYOND WORDS, you develop awareness of the power of your voice, as well as common nonverbal relationship builders. This workshop is designed to ensure your success.